Out of the Limelight
by Funky In Fishnet
Summary: Set at January Impact of the TNA Awards, the aftermath of Kurt Angle's attack on Samoa Joe's girlfriend and how it affects Joe.


_**Disclaimer**__: All characters etc owned by Dixie Carter and them at TNA Wrestling._

_**Author Notes**__: This one's been stewing for a while and is kinda an odd subject! It focuses on Samoa Joe and the dark-haired young lady (whom I have named Abigail) we saw him celebrating with after his win and later being hurt by Angle. I liked her and Joe's interactions and was intrigued by the different side to Joe we saw. This fic grew out of it, I'm hoping I didn't make her too much of a Mary Sue! Hope y'all enjoy. All feedback is welcomed and encouraged. _

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Joe had been thinking about killing Angle since Joe's knee had been busted and he'd been reduced to crutches. It had been the primary thought keeping him focused as he worked towards getting back in the ring. It had consumed him. But for the first time in a week, that thought was second to something else even more overwhelming. 

Fear curled potently in his guts as he cradled a dark-haired young woman in the strong circle of his arms while she sobbed. Fear was not an emotion Samoa Joe was used to feeling, especially this powerfully. But Abi hadn't moved since he'd managed to stagger backstage with her and crumple painfully on the cold hard floor, and that scared him.

Joe couldn't look at her ankle, at what Angle had to done to her to get at him. But he held her and stroked her hair, ignoring the confused looks he knew he was getting. He knew he was getting them because this was something completely unexpected – Joe, a man that almost everyone feared due to his brutal and ruthless in-ring style and surly personality, showing that he cared about someone. Joe put up with the staring and the whispers for only one reason: he didn't want to let go of Abi.

"Joe?"

A voice forced its way into his consciousness and he turned his head sharply, his grip on Abi automatically tightening in defence. As much as he loathed admitting that Kurt had affected him in any way, the former Olympian had made him jumpy. But if it helped to keep Abi safe, he'd go with it.

Before him was no threat, physically anyway. Jim Cornette, hands raised in defence, was stood a few feet away.

"Hey, easy now, Joe. The medics need to take a look at your friend, ok? To check out how badly Angle hurt her ankle," the TNA Director explained, smartly keeping his distance as he faced the extremely pissed-off Samoan. "They're not gonna move you, they just want to check she's ok."

There were medics hovering impatiently behind Cornette, and Joe nodded. He bent his head so that his lips were close to Abi's ear.

"The medics are here, they want to take a look at your ankle."

His breath touched her skin and her shudders seemed to slow a little, or maybe he was imagining it. Joe raised his head to look at Cornette, that certainty shining in his eyes again.

"I'm going to kill him."

"Well, maybe, but not on that knee you're not. They need to take a look at you too."

As Joe glared at Cornette, anger knotting his throat too much for words, the medics swept in and efficiently pried Abi from his arms. Her cries rose sharply in volume, and Joe's focus immediately switched back to her. She needed him right now, and he was not going to be distracted. Not until he knew exactly what Angle had done to her, and how long it would take to fix.

He kept hold of one of her hands, gripping it firmly.

"I'm right here, Abi," he managed to squeeze out through his tightened throat, blocking out the busy attention and stares surrounding them. The rough tenderness in his voice made Cornette's eyebrows rise up into his hairline. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Alright, Joe, lets take a look at that knee."

A medic crouched beside him, and began probing the body part. Joe answered his questions, but he was focused on Abi and what Angle had done to her. She was still sobbing, tears flowing down her cheeks. Joe knew the agony of being trapped in Angle's ankle lock. Even if only for a short time, it was gonna hurt like hell.

Joe'd screamed when he'd been trapped in that damn submission hold, but that was mostly fury at knowing he'd have to tap out as well as pain. Abi was voicing how much it had hurt her.

"What's her name?" one of the medics examining her glanced at Joe.

"Abigail," he replied gruffly, keeping her nickname for himself.

"Ok, well Abigail needs to get some x-rays done on this ankle. We think it might be broken, or at the least badly fractured. We have an ambulance here ready to take her."

"I'm coming too."

The medic shot a look at Cornette, and Joe saw him nod out of the corner of his eye. He could read Cornette like a book. He'd know that Joe wanted to kill Angle, no matter how bad his knee was, and probably thought that the hospital was the safest place to trap Joe in for a while. Joe glared at Cornette, communicating the hate and bile that was clogging up inside of him for Angle. Cornette's own stare wavered and he moved back quickly to allow the medics to get to their feet. Joe smirked; they were going to have words the next time they met, specifically about when Joe could face Angle in the ring.

When they got to the hospital, Joe couldn't go with Abi into the x-ray room, and had to watch as they took her away. They'd sedated her in the ambulance in case she hurt herself or someone trying to help her. The others had had to hold Joe back from throwing the medic with the syringe out of the ambulance. Abi hated needles. They'd said she was getting hysterical, Joe had growled that of course she fucking was. He was gonna kill Angle.

The doctor told him he shouldn't have been running when he needed crutches to walk, and that with a week of rest his knee should mend. Joe figured he'd be able to manage a couple of days rest before the next Impact taping. Then Angle was all his.

The medics offered Joe a life back home, but Abi filled his head. Now that she was being looked after, guilt was beginning to gnaw at him. It wasn't something Joe was used to; he rarely felt guilt for the things he did. But Abi had come to Orlando to be there for the awards, so that if he did win anything she'd be there to celebrate with him.

Instead she'd been drug out to the stage, humiliated and badly injured. She should have stayed at the hotel and then she'd be safe and they'd be celebrating. This was the reason that he didn't form alliances or have tag team partners or care about anyone in the wrestling business – because people could be used to hurt him. He kept his family and friends from outside the business tightly boxed away out of the limelight so that no one like Angle could use them to get to Joe. Tonight had proved that it was right thing to do - all it had taken was a camera's glimpse of Abi and Angle had pounced.

"Joe? They've got her x-rays back now."

Joe blinked, clearing his mind, and listened. Her ankle wasn't broken, but it was fractured. She'd need it set and cast, and rest to allow it to knit back together. It wasn't anything permanently altering, and she'd be ok. Joe had seen enough x-rays to both understand and be bored by them, so after asking to see Abi and getting pointed to the room she was resting in, he shouldered past the medics on his crutches, ignoring both offers of a wheelchair and help.

He paused by the door to her room. This was hellish. He was supposed to be celebrating with Abi tonight, not visiting her in a hospital room. Guilt and anger were burning inside of him, and from that a single thought crystalised. It was Angle's fault; Angle had busted his knee meaning Joe couldn't save Abi, and Angle had been the one to put his hands on her.

_Actually it is personal!!_

_Joe! Joe, he broke my ankle! _

Abi's screams tore at his brain, and he remembered stumbling up the ramp, throwing his crutch as Angle disappeared down the tunnel without a backward glance. He'd made his point so he'd left. Abi hadn't stopped crying after that. Now she had a fractured ankle.

Joe thumped the wall hard with his fist, welcoming the pain. It was a tiny price to pay after what had happened tonight. He should have kept her safe, bad knee or not. As he leant on the wall, a whisper-soft voice called from inside the room.

"Joe? Joe, is that you?"

Managing to juggle his crutches and open a heavy hospital door without falling over, Joe made it into the room safely with a deep breath and determination. It was a small room, white and stark, unsuitable for anyone still hoping to live. It made the black of Abi's dress stand out like an inkblot on paper. Lying on the hospital bed, Abi looked too fragile and withdrawn. She smiled sleepily at him, the effects of the sedative still apparent.

"You alright?" Joe asked as he reached her side.

"Tired," Abi managed through a yawn. "My ankle hurts, they're going to put it in a cast."

"Yeah, I heard," Joe reached for her hand, gratified when she faintly squeezed his fingers as they made contact. "You know, this wasn't the plan for tonight."

"It's not your fault," Abi said, firm despite the sedative fogging her voice. "You didn't do this to me. You tried to save me."

Joe felt himself smiling; Abi rarely sounded so young. It made him feel kind of wrong standing so close to her, holding her hand. He was in a dangerous profession and she might realise after tonight how it could hurt her too. His grip on her hand tightened; he didn't want to be without her. She was a good thing in his life, the only good thing not work-related. That line had been blurred now.

"You shouldn't have been here tonight," he voiced out loud.

"Hey!" Abi pulled him towards her, her voice clearer. "I wanted to come, it was a great idea. We're still together tonight."

"We're in a hospital. You almost got your ankle broken," Joe heard anger creep into his voice and forced himself to keep a lid on it. It wasn't Abi who deserved that.

"But it's not," Abi insisted, clearly trying to fight the tiredness that was gripping her. "I'm ok, I'll get better."

Joe nodded, and Abi tugged him even closer so that his legs pressed against the bed. Gently, her hand caressed his jawbone, a soft smile on her face. Joe kept his eyes pinned to her; she usually did that before she kissed him. But tonight her hand fell back onto the bed. She looked exhausted and right on cue, a nurse bustled in with a firm look on her face.

"You need to leave," she said to Joe as she checked Abi over efficiently. "We're going to put the cast on her and then she needs to rest."

"I'll be ok, Joe. I just need to rest my eyes a little bit," Abi told him.

"And you will, you need to sleep, Abigail," the nurse replied. "But you need to stay awake for a little longer so that we can put that cast on. Then you can sleep for as long as you want."

"Can Joe stay with me?" Abi looked suddenly pleading and the nurse paused, taking in Joe's crutches with a hint of amusement growing in her smile and eyes.

"I think your friend needs to rest as well. He can stay in your room once we've finished putting your cast on, as long as the doctor allows it," the nurse decided, before turning to Joe. "Someone will come and find you when she's sleeping."

Joe frowned; he didn't want to leave Abi. He'd stay in her room all night if he could, just in case Angle tried anything else, and to reassure himself that she was safe. The nurse arched her eyebrows at him and gestured to the door impatiently. A smirk crept over Joe's face; not even Cornette would dismiss him so pointedly. But this nurse was taking care of Abi and Abi was tired.

With a quick glare at the nurse who stared back at him with folded arms, Joe leant down as much as his smashed knee would let him and brushed his lips across Abi's forehead.

"I'll see you later, Abi," he said quietly, hating for anyone but Abi to see such a vulnerable moment.

As he braced himself against his crutches to leave, Abi's voice stopped him and she beckoned him back to her. When he leant down again, Abi lifted herself up as much as she could and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

"Come back soon, Joe," she whispered, as she sank back down into the bed's embrace.

After Joe exited the room, he found that the nurse had followed him.

"I can find you a room to rest in while we're settling Abigail," she told him, in a tone that said she expected to be obeyed.

But Joe frowned and refused and headed off in the opposite direction. He didn't want to rest in an empty room where he couldn't do anything with his anger. He couldn't beat on Angle tonight, but he could walk some of his anger off so he took off down a corridor, ignoring the nurse's raised voice behind him. He hated hospitals; most wrestlers did even if it was an inevitable part of their business. It meant long waits and having to promise you would take care of yourself and rest.

Around another corner, a curved glass wall presented a gift shop and Joe paused, leaning on his crutches as he looked at the bright and varied contents packed inside. It was one of the only places inside the hospital that didn't look or feel medical in any way.

Heading through the door, Joe glanced at the gifts that were on display and found another purpose that could waste some time. Abi needed something to make her room look less dead.

After a while spent browsing and feeling some kind of calmness settle on him, Joe chose some sprays of the soft pink flower that her sister had sent her for her birthday and she liked so much. It would make her smile.

As he paid, he smirked. Being seen buying flowers the night that he was witnessed comforting a sobbing girl would do nothing for his reputation. But here, with no one around to see him, he didn't care. He wanted to make Abi feel better.

The sales assistant asked if it was for a patient and wrapped the bouquet simply, telling Joe that a nurse would find him a vase and water.

"Excuse me, sir?" an orderly stood behind him, fresh and clean with a ready smile. Obviously at the start of his shift. "You are Joe, aren't you?" at Joe's nod, the man's smile widened with relief and continued. "We've put the cast on your friend's leg and she's sleeping now. You can come up to her room."

Joe was about to try and work out how to juggle both crutches and the bouquet when the orderly gently took the flowers out of his hands. Joe nodded in thanks.

When he got to Abi's room, she had a cast that reached from her toes to her knee and she was out cold. There was a cot made up next to her bed with the same nurse beside it fluffing a pillow. She smiled when she saw him and exited the room with only one warning to him to not wake Abi up. The orderly went to search out a vase.

Abi looked peaceful as she slept, as though she had no worries at all. She was even smiling. Joe couldn't stop watching her, close to her side and leaning on his crutches. If he turned away, all he could see and hear was Angle attacking her and her terrified shrieks. Joe clenched his jaw and he could see his knuckles turn white out of the corner of his eye.

There was a brief burst of sound as the orderly bustled back in with the pink flowers arranged in a simple white vase and put it on Abi's bedside table. He checked Abi's pulse, asked if Joe needed any pain medication for his knee, and then wished him a pointed good night before leaving.

Joe's watch told him it was well past midnight. He scrubbed a hand across his eyes, feeling the pressing tiredness he'd been holding back crash into him. It had been an extremely long and draining night and now, with no one but Abi around, he could let it show.

Abi stirred a little, her eyelids fluttering. Joe waited until she was still again, then clicked her bedside lamp off and levered himself down onto the cot. It was not going to be a comfortable night's sleep. His eyes skated back to Abi as he lowered his crutches to the floor carefully, not wanting to wake her. She'd need as much sleep as she could get and Joe was going to make sure she got it.

She'd been through a lot tonight. It could have been worse, but it was bad enough. There was no way she was going to be backstage at a taping again, not when Angle now knew that he could hurt Joe and get what he wanted from Joe by hurting Abi. Joe thumped a fist on the cot; he couldn't believe he'd agreed to the rematch he'd swore he'd never give Angle. But one look at Abi's terrified face and he'd crumbled. Besides, he was looking forward to smashing the shit out of Angle now after what Angle'd done to Abi. It would make him feel a lot better.

Joe didn't want Abi to be tarnished by the business when she was the one thing who could make him smile after a crap day, her bubbly smiles so at odds with his burdened anger. But it worked and Joe didn't question it. He needed that in his life and he was going to keep her safe, like he couldn't tonight.

Listening to Abi's soft and steady breathing, Joe willed his knee to heal and focused on Angle as sleep approached. He was going to kill him.

_-end_


End file.
